Super Tuesday showdown begins in 24 states
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-05 22:59
A LONG CONTEST
"The nominating rules of our party are really designed to prolong a contest between two strong candidates," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe cited Clinton's once commanding leads in many of the 22 states holding Democratic contests. The Obama campaign's goal is to win a few states and stay within 100 delegates on Tuesday, he said in a memo to reporters.
In contrast, many of the 21 Republican contests are winner-take-all when awarding delegates, meaning a strong day by McCain could give him a commanding lead.
McCain predicted victory at an early-morning rally.
"We're going to win today, we're going to win the nomination and we're going to win the presidency," McCain told a crowd of several hundred in New York's Rockefeller Center following his appearance on NBC's morning show.
In dueling commercials, McCain and Romney both invoked former President Ronald Reagan in an attempt to question each others' conservative credentials.
Romney has tried to take advantage of conservative qualms about McCain's views on taxes, immigration and campaign finance reform, while supporters on talk radio and in the Senate have questioned his temperament.
McCain said his prickly reputation comes from fighting corruption and wasteful spending.
"I've never been elected Miss Congeniality because I've fought against these practices that have caused the American people to hold us in such low esteem," he said on the "Today Show".
"In all due respect, a couple of those people that are criticizing me are not the most respected members of the United States Senate," he said.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the first contest in Iowa, also remains in the Republican race, and has siphoned conservative votes from Romney in some contests. He is aiming for a strong showing in the South.
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